Week in Review: 10 Interviews on Markets, Rates, AI, and Volatility

Oil prices and technology stocks remain key drivers of overall market sentiment, with energy continuing to contribute to inflation and interest rate concerns.

September proved a volatile month for yield traders and bond investors with the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) raising its target rate range by 25 basis points. The underlying trend continues: stubborn inflation, with the U.S. benchmark price for crude oil (/CL) up nearly 5% during September and still elevated, up about 1% to near $91 per barrel last week, without an agreement between the U.S. and Iran. That said, Friday’s softer jobs report could deter the FOMC from an October interest rate hike. According to the CME FedWatch tool, the probability of an October rate hike fell below 25% Friday after hitting 70% Monday.

For the month of September, equity returns were mixed: the S&P 500 (SPX) was down fractionally, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ($DJI) slipped more than 4%, and the Russell 2000 (RUT) fell more than 5%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq-100 (NDX), however, rose more than 3% in September.

For the week, markets were also mixed: the S&P 500 was down 0.27%, the Dow slipped 1.26%, the Russell 2000 was off by 0.16%, but the tech-heavy Nasdaq-100 was up 0.65%.

Here are some of this week's interviews and discussions, featuring a range of perspectives on interest rates, bonds, artificial intelligence, energy and investing: 

• George Tsilis: Bond Market, Jobs Data This Week Stress Narrow Equity Rally
• What Energy Prices Mean for the Next Fed Decision | Morning Trade Live
• As Treasury yields spike, earnings expansion can sustain market momentum, depending on what the Fed does next, Ahmed Riesgo says.

Commentary on artificial intelligence:

• George Schultze on the bond market, rates, bad corporate balance sheets, 'Mixed' 4Q, and AI Memory Trade 'Peak' with MU Earnings?
• MU Earnings Continue Bullish AI Memory Demand, Analysts Back Bull Case
• David Trainer 'Calling End to AI Trade:' Risks Loom Over Liquidity, IPOs & Earnings
• AI Buildout Powers a Rotation from Cash into Credit

Looking ahead, these interviews explore a range of market perspectives and potential scenarios:

• Oil Above $100 Could Be Coming After the Midterms, says Simon Lack
• BA Wins $20B U.S. Navy Contract Following Stock Price Plunge
• Bonnie Treichel explains “Why Set It and Forget It Could Wreck Your Retirement Plan” | Trading 360
• Logan Ryan on Investing Journey, Mag 7 Bull Case, & AI's Reach into Sports

You can always dig into sector themes with videos on the Schwab Network industries landing page.

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